Author 



........£.......... 

.-..LSJ. 



Title 



ImllHnt. 



-^f 



VT 



isTORY OF Maryland 



PBEPAKED 



>r the Use of the Public Schools of 
the State 



WILLIAM HAND BROWNE 

AND 

J. THOMAS SCHAEF. 



BALTIMORE: 

TURNBULL BROTHERS. 

1877. 



F 



,T>'i 



Copyrighted^ xZ", by 
J. Thomas vSchakf and Wm. Hand Bkowni-;, 



HISTORY OF MARYLAND. 



PART I. 
MARYLAND THE PROVINCE. 

CHAPTER I. 

Three hundred years ago certain notions prevailed 
among the princes and people of Europe, which are 
not so generally believed now, but which had an im- 
portant influence on American history. One of these 
notions was that the more gold and silver any country 
possessed, the richer and more prosperous it was. 
Another was that whenever the subject of any Chris- 
tian sovereign first discovered any land inhabited by 
heathens, he had' the right to take possession of it in 
the name of his sovereign, whose property it then 
became. 

So when in the sixteenth century the other princes 
of Europe saw the immense quantities of gold and 
silver that every year poured into Spain from the mines 
of Mexico and Peru, one-fifth of all which was the king's 
own property, they too became eager to make discoveries 
and to plant colonies in the New World. Among the 

What was in former times believed to make a country rich and pros- 
perous? What was done when the subject of a Christian king dis- 
covered a new country? Whence did Spain draw great quantities of 
gold aad silver? What share of this belonged to the king? 



HISTORY OF MARYLAND. 



rest the English — who had perhaps the best right of 
any, according to the ideas of that day, from the fact 
that the mainland of North America had been discovered 
in 1497 by John and Sebastian Cabot, then in the 
service of King Henry VII. — made several unsuccessful 
attempts to found colonies on the continent. 

Besides the desire of extending their dominions and 
drawing wealth from the new country, there was 
another reason moving them to this. During th^ 
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries England had been 
engaged in constant and terrible wars at home and 
abroad, by which the population had been greatly 
thinned. But from the beginning of the .sixteenth 
century to the time of which we are writing, that is, 
for more than a hundred years, the English people had 
not been engaged in any very bloody wars, and the 
population had increased so greatly that a great part 
of the laboring people were suffering for want of sub- 
sistence; and it was thought a very desirable thing 
that such of them as were willing, should have the 
chance of bettering their condition in a new country. 

After several unsuccessful attempts had been made, 
as has been said, a company of noblemen and gentlemen, 
called " The London Company," who had received from 
King James I. a grant of the land Ij'ing between the 
thirty-fourth and forty-first parallels of north latitude 
— that is, the land in which are now the States of North 
Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and a large 
part of Pennsylvania — sent out a band of colonists, one 
of whose leaders Avas the celebrated Captain John 
Smith, who first explored the Chesapeake Bay ; and 
these in 1607 settled at Jamestown, and founded the 
colony of Virginia. 

What did the English attempt? What was their claim to the conti- 
nent of North America? What had England suffered from in the 
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries? What was the state of affairs in 
the sixteenth century? What land did the London Company-receive? 
What did they do? When was Jamestown settled ? 



HISTORY OF MARYLAND. 



Land was granted to colonists in those days by a 
written instrument called a charter, drawn up in the 
name of the king, and setting forth the boundaries of 
the land they were to have, the rights and privileges 
they were to enjoy, and the conditions under which 
these were granted. These charters were of three 
kinds, according to the nature of the government the 
colony was to have. In some the colony was imme- 
diately dependent on the king, who appointed and 
removed at his pleasure the governor and principal 
officers, and whose approval ^was necessary to all laws- 
These were called Royal governments, and the colonies 
governed by them were the least independent of all. 
Another class of charters were those given to companies, 
who had the power of choosing their own officers, and, 
to a certain extent, of making their own laws and 
regulating their own affairs. These were called Charter 
governments : not a very clear distinction, as they all 
had charters. Then there were those in which the 
land was granted, as private property, to a single 
person or to several, who undertook to found the colony; 
and who were given the right to appoint officers, con- 
struct the government, and make or approve the laws. 
These were called Proprietary governments, and of all 
were the most independent of the crown. The Proprie- 
tary was almost in the position of a king: the public 
business was carried on in his name, the revenues of the 
colony were his, and at his death his eldest son or 
nearest heir succeeded him. 

All the colonies however had to pay to the crown of 
England one-fifth of the gold and silver found in them, 
and at certain times formally to present to the king or 
his representative some specified product of the country 
as a token that they owned him as their sovereign. 

What was a charter? What was a Royal government? A Charter 
government? A Proprietary government? Which kind of government 
was most independent ? What did the colonies have to pay to the crown ? 



HISTOKY OF MAi:yLA>r>. 




CHAPTER II. 

Sir George Calvert, the founder of Maryland, was an 
English gentleman who stood high in the favor of King 
James I. and of his son the Prince of Wales, afterwards 

Charles I., and held the 
high office of a Secre- 
tarj' of State. He, how- 
ever, about the year 
1G25, embraced the Ro- 
man Catholic faith ; and, 
^ as the duties of bis office 

were such as no coneci- 
;..,'- :^: entious Catholic could 

,^;.;v^ ., '■^- ^^ perform, he preferred 

/^ ■ .3"; f^: resigning his place to 

''¥% '■ ■''''.?^^^ neglecting his duty, or 

^^^■^ doing what he believed 

-/^^:^^^5r^^*i=<^l5f?r?^^ to be wrong. His 

SIR GEOKGE CALVERT. -changc of faith did not 

deprive him of the favor of the king, who raised him 
to the nobility under the title of Baron of Baltimore, 
At this time the ill-feelings between persons of dif- 
ferent religious beliefs were much stronger than they 
are now ; and the religious wars in Europe, the at- 
tempted invasion of England b}' Spain in Elizabeth's 
reign, the Gunpowder Plot, a scheme of some desperate 
men to kill King James and the Parliament, and other 
causes, had made the feelings of English Protestants 
toward the Roman Catholics very bitter indeed ; though 
on many occasions the English Catholics had shown 

Who wae Sir Georg--:' Calvert? What office did he hold? Why did he 
g-jve up his office? What rank was conferred on him? What wae the 
Btate of feeling at this time between those of different religions ? 



HISTORY OF MARYLAND. 



themselves to be as good citizens and as faithful subjects 
as the Protestants. The position therefore of the 
English Catholics, who were generally looked upon with 
hatred and suspicion, was very unpleasant; and Lord 
Baltimore thought it would be a desirable thing to 
remove, with others of his own faith, to homes in the 
]S'ew World, where they would be free from molestation. 

Before his change of fiiith, Calvert had taken an 
interest in the plans of colonisation then so much dis- 
cussed ; and in 1623 he had obtained from the king a 
grant of a tract of land in Newfoundland, to which he 
sent out some colonists, giving the settlement the name 
of Avalon. In 1628 he removed there himself, taking 
his wife and several of his children with him. But the 
severit}' of the climate, and especially the extreme cold 
and length of the winter, discouraged the colonists, 
many of whom, including Calvert himself, fell sick ; and 
he saw that he would have either to give up his purpose 
altogether, or seek a more suitable place for his colony. 
So he took ship with his family and about forty 
colonists, and sailed for Virginia, where he arrived in 
October 1629. 

The governor and council of Virginia, on his arrival, 
asked him the purpose of his visit, and being told that 
he wished to settle in that colony, required him to take 
what were called the oaths of " allegiance " and 
" supremacy "; that is, he was called on to swear that 
he was a faithful subject of the king of England, and 
that he believed the king to be the rightful head of the 
Church in England. The latter oath, as an honest 
Eoman Catholic, he could not take ; so the authorities 
of Virginia refused to allow him to settle among them. 

Lord Baltimore now cast his eyes on the beautiful 

What did Lord Baltimore think? Give some account of the founding 
of Avalon. Why was it abandoned? How was Lord Baltimore received 
in Virginia? 



8 HISTORY OF MARYLAND. 

and fertile unsettled country on the shores of the Chesa- 
peake Bay, and determined to apply to King Charles I. 
(who had succeeded his father, .Tames I,, in 1G25) for a 
grant of this territory. Although this land had been 
included in the original grant to the London Company, 
the king was perfectly free to give it to whom he 
pleased, as that company had been deprived of their 
charter about five years before, and the king had taken 
possession of the land again. So leaving his wife and 
children in Virginia, Baltimore returned to England, 
and finding the king favorably disposed to his wishes, 
sent for his family to join him ; but unfortunately the 
ship on which they sailed was lost, and the}^ all perished. 
Baltimore, though deeply' afiiicted by this terrible 
addition to his misfortunes, did not abandon his plan. 
He first applied for a tract of land south of the James 
river ; but this being opposed b}- the Virginians, he 
asked for and obtained from the king a grant of land 
lying north of the Potomac and on both sides of the 
Chesapeake Bay. He at first thought of calling his 
pi'ovince Crcscentia, but at the king's request he gave it 
the name of Maryland (in Latin Terra Mariae) in honor 
of the queen Henrietta Maria. But on April 15, 1632, 
before his charter was signed, he died, leaving his titles 
and estates to his eldest son, Cecilius Calvert, who 
became the second Lord Baltimore; and in his name 
the charter was made out, bearing date the 20th of 
June, 1682. 

What (lid he next think of doing? Who was king- of England at this 
timeV Why had the king now a right to give away the land he had 
given to the London Company? What did Baltimore do? What hap- 
pened to his wife and children? Where did Baltimore first think of 
settling? What land did he finally get? After whom was Maryland 
named? When did the first Lord Baltimore die? Who succeeded him? 
When was the charter of Maryland made out? 



HISTORY OF MARYLAND. 



CHAPTER III. 



The territory granted by this charter to Cecilius 
Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore, under the name of 
the province of Maryland, was bounded on the east by 
the Atlantic ocean and Delaware Bay and River; on 
the north by the fortieth parallel of north latitude ; on 
the west by a line drawn from the northern boundary 
southward to the most western source of the Potomac 
river, and thence down the further bank of that river 
to the Chesapeake Bay ; and on the south by a line 
running from this last point to Watkins Point on the 
eastern shore of the Bay, and thence east to the ocean. 

40°N. LAT. 




The province so bounded contained very much more 
land than the present State of Maryland. It included 
the whole State of Delaware, a wide strip o the 



Give the original boundaries of Maryland, 
portions of this territory 



What States no 



10 HISTORY OF MARYLAND. 

southern part of Pennsylvania, and a tract that now 
belongs to Virginia. 

All this land was given to Lord Baltimore as bis own 
property, be having to pay nothing to the king except 
the fifth part of all gold and silver that might be found 
in it. The Proprietary, as he was called, bad the 
right to appoint all the officers of the government ; to 
make all the laws, with the consent of the freemen (all 
who were not servants or hired laborers) of the 
province, and in certain cases without consulting them ; 
and to these laws the king's assent was not necessary, 
He could also build forts, raise armies, make war or 
peace, erect towns and cities, hold courts of justice, and 
levy taxes ; and both king and Parliament were pro- 
hibited from taxing the people or their goods, laying 
duties on their commerce, or in any way interfering 
with their liberties. Thus he was almost in the position 
of an independent king; the only marks of his depen- 
dence being the payment of the fifth of gold and silvei-, 
and his obligation to deliver to the king or his repre- 
sentative, once a year, at the palace of Windsor, two 
Indian arrows of Maryland make, as a sign that he 
acknowledged the king of England as his sovereign. 

Gifts of land accompanied with almost royal powers, 
from kings to their great nobles, were not uncommon 
in the middle ages, though less frequent in later times. 
They were called palatinates^ and the holder of one a 
count palatine. Lord Baltimore therefore became a 
count palatine in his province, and this fact is signified 
in the coat-of-arms of Maryland. The shield, with its 
crosses and checkered bars, represents the families from 
whom Lord Baltimore was descended. The motto, 

What rights had the Proprietary? What else could he do? Had 
Parliament any power to tax the people or make laws for them? 
What had IJaltimore to pay to the kinK? What were such K'fts of land 
called y What ia tho raeaQing of the shield in the coat-of-arms of 
Maryland? 



HISTORY OF MARYLAND. 



11 



/ 




Fatti Maschii Parole i^emme—" Deeds are masculine, 
words feminine" — was that of the Calverts; the helmet 
with the coronet indicates his rank of baron ; the 
farmer and fisherman at its sides (called " supporters") 
were added by him as 
representing the great in- 
dustries of the province.* 
But between the shield 
and the helmet is seen a 
cap surrounded by a coro- 
net. This is called a 
"palatine's cap," and de- /j 
notes his rank as palatine, ^ >-; ^ 
and therefore the peculiar ' 

relation which Maryland 
bore to the British crown. 
Not one of the other colo- 
nies was so independent 
of the mother-country; indeed no other grant so liberal 
was ever made by an English sovereign ; and this fact 
became of great importance in after j^eai-s. 

So soon as he received his charter, Lord Baltimore 
began his preparations for sending out a colony. At 
his own expense he fitted out two vessels, the Ark and 
the Dove, on which about two hundred colonists em- 
barked from the port of Cowes in the Isle of Wight, on 
the 22d of Novem.ber, 1633. He had intended to accom- 
pany them himself, but thought it better to send out 
with them his brother Leonard Calvert as governor, 
while he remained in England to look after the interests 
of his colony there. The colonists consisted of " gentle- 

♦ On some of the seals the motto is, Crescite et MuUiplicamini—" Increase and 
Multiply." 

What of the crowned helmet ? What of the " supporters " ? What is 
the meaning of the " palatine's cap"? Which, of all the colonies, was 
most independent of England? When did Baltimore s first colony set 
sail? In what vessels ? Who went out as governor? 



■ ■ . j j^A-N A^ 



COAT-OF-ABMS OF MARYLAND. 



12 HISTOKY OF MAElTLiAND. 

men adrentarers," as they were called, and their ser- 
vants and hired laborers. Both Protestants and Roman 
Catholics were among them ; in what proportion we do 
not know ; ner does it appear that any distinction was 
made between them. It seems probable that the leading 
men, about twenty in number, were Catholics, while 
the greater part of the rest were Protestants. They 
were accompanied by two Catholic priests, Fathers 
Andrew "White and John Altham. 

After a long and stormy yoyage in which they 
narrowly escaped shipwreck, the Ark and Dove reached 
Point Comfort on February 27th, 1634, and thence sailed 
up the Chesapeake Bay to the Potomac river. The 
colonists were charmed with the beauty of this new 
land that was to be their home, the wide and stately 
river, and the noble forests that clothed its banks. 
Sailing up the Potomac, they disembarked on an island 
which they called St. Clement's (now Blackiston's 
island) ; and here on March 25th they set up a cross as 
the emblem of the Christian faith, and celebrated divine 
worship according to the rite of the Catholic church. 

On their upward passage they had seen great num- 
bers of the Indians in arms, and signal-fires burning at 
night throughout the country; so G-overnor Calvert 
thought it prudent first of all to establish, if possible, 
friendly relations with these savages. He had learned 
that many of the tribes were subject to a great chief 
or "emperor'" who lived at Piscatawa^' ; so he took a 
party and sailed up the Potomac to pay this emperor a 
visit. Landing on the south side of the river, the 
governor first proceeded to an Indian town governed 
by a chief named Archihu, uncle and guardian to the 
king, who was a boy. Archihu received the strangers 

When did they reach Point 
' ■ n tlie new laad : Wbere did 

1 ' .ud they seen ae they sailed up? 

V iiu; di-. Ci' 1'. vriiyr (Juix t-ri du ',■ 



HISTORY OF MARYLAND. 



13 



in a very friendly manner; and when they had ex- 
plained to him through an interpreter that they came 
to his country to dwell in peace, and to teach him and 
his people the worship of the true God and the arts of 
civilised life, he made them welcome, sa3'ing, " We will 
eat at the same table : my young men shall hunt for 
you, and we will have all things in common." 

From this point they sailed to Piscataway, where the 
Indians were much alarmed at the appearance of the 
strangers in their ships, and about five hundred armed 




BUYING LAND OF INDIANS. 



with bows stationed themselves as a guard around their 
emperor, who had come down to the shore. But the 
English making signs of peace and friendship, the em- 
peror laid aside all fear and went on board one of the 

How was he received by Archihu? What did they see at Piscataway ? 



14 HISTORY OF MARYLAND. 



vessels, where be was so much pleased with his friendly- 
reception that he gave the colonists permission to settle 
wherever they chose. Governor Calvert thought that 
the island on which they had landed was neither con- 
venient nor safe enough for a settlement, so the colo- 
nists proceeded further up the Bay to a river which 
they named St, George's river (now St. Mary's), and 
landing on its western bank, selected a suitable place 
for a town, which the}' laid off and named St. Mary's. 
The land here belonged to a chief named Yaocomico, 
from whom they bought a large tract, giving in ex- 
change articles of the greatest value to the Indians, 
such as axes, hatchets, hoes, and English cloth ; and 
they took possession of the soil with the usual ceremo- 
nies on March 27, 163K 

These Indians of Southern Murj-land were a gentler 
and less warlike race than the fierce Susquehannocks who 
lived further to the north, and distressed them cruelly 
by continual inroads. At this ver}' time Yaocomico's 
people had been harassed by them to such a degree 
that they had made up their minds to abandon their 
village and lands and seek homes elsewhere. This was 
a fortunate thing for the colonists, who were at once 
provided with habitations in the cabins of the Indians, 
which they willingly gave up to them with their culti- 
vated lands, a part only remaining to tend the growing 
crops. The utmost kindness prevailed between the 
settlers and these natives; the young men of the tribe 
taught the English the cultivation of corn and the arts 
of hunting and snaring game, while many of the Indian 
women and children became willing servants in the 
settlei-s' families. In all things they showed them- 
selves friendl}- and confiding, and to the honor of the 

How did the "emperor" recei%'e them? Where did Calvert deter- 
mine to settle? How did he get land from the Indians? When was 
St. Mary's founded ? Why were these Indians willing to give up their 
town ? 



HISTORY OF MARYLAND. 15 

colonists this trust was never betrayed. In all their 
dealings with them the English acted justly, giving 
them in exchange for what they bought, tools and 
other useful articles, the very use of which raised the 
Indian higher in civilisation ; teaching them various 
arts, and the worship) of the true God. This justice 
and kindness won the gratitude and affection of the 
Indians; and the Englishman benighted in the forest 
might sleep as safely in the wigwam of the savage as 
under his own roof 



CHAPTER IV. 



Though at peace with the Indians, the infant colony 
had enemies among men of their own race and subjects 
of the same sovereign. The Virginians had from the 
first been bitterly opposed to the grant to Lord Balti- 
more, and were ready to use any means to have it 
annulled. Now in the charter the land granted was 
spoken of as " hitherto uncultivated," and such it 
really was in any ordinary sense of the words. But it 
so happened that a short time before the issue of the 
ehai'ter a Virginian named William Claiborne, who had 
a license to trade with the Indians, had established a 
trading post on Kent Island. Lord Baltimore, on 
taking possession of his grant, notified Claiborne that 
he was now subject to the government of Maryland ; 
and Claiborne asked the council of Virginia how he 
should act in the matter. The council replied that 

How were they treated by the settlers? How did the Virginians feel 
toward the Marylanders? Who was William Claiborne? What did he 
do? 



16 HISTORY OF MARYLAND. 

they saw no roason why they should give up their right 
to the isliuid. 

CUiiborne therefore refused to submit, and orders- 
were given to arrest him, but he escaped. In revenge 
he went to the Indians, and hoping to rouse them to 
mui'der the Marylanders, told them that the new colo- 
nists were not English as they pretended to be, but 
Spaniards, the enemies of the English. The settlers at 
St. Mary's noticed a sudden change in the behavior of 
the natives, who all quitted the settlement; and fearing 
an attack they stopped work on their town and built a 
block house, or log fort, for their protection. After a 
while they learned from the Indians what Claiborne 
had told them, and succeeded in convincing them of the 
falsehood of the charge ; after which the Indians came 
back and were as friendly as before, and the colonists 
went on building their houses. 

Early in the next year, 1635, Claiborne fitted out a 
small vessel with a crew of fourteen men under the 
command of Lieutenant Warren, to attack the colo- 
nists, and Governor Calvert sent out two vessels, com- 
manded by Captain Thomas Cornwallis, to meet them. 
They met in the Pocomoke river, and the first naval 
engagement in Mar^dand watci's followed, in which the 
colonists lost one man, and Claiborne's men two, besides 
their commander, on which they surrendered, and were 
carried as prisoners to St. Mary's. Claiborne now fled 
to Virginia. Governor Calvert sent to Governor 
Harvey to ask that he should be given up for trial; but 
Harvey, not venturing openly to give him shelter, yet 
unwilling to oft'end the public feeling in Virginia, sent 
him to England to be tried. 

In the mean time a system of government had been 

What did he make the Indians believe? Did he succeed in his 
plan? What did Claiborne do next year? What was the result of 
his attempt? 



HISTORY OF MARYLAND. 17 

established in the colony. Lord Baltimore had given 
his brothei', Governor Calvert, a commission author- 
ising him to call assemblies for the purpose of making- 
laws, which he might approve or not, as he judged best •, 
also to judge causes, and make grants of land. In 
executing his duties the governor was assisted by a 
council, with whom he could issue orders which had 
the force of law. In this year, 1635, it appears that 
the first assembly was called, consisting of all the free- 
men (that is, men not servants nor hired laborers) in 
the colony, who passed several laws which the Proprie- 
tary refused to confirm, not because they were bad, but 
because the charter gave him the right to propose all 
the laws for the province, while the people had the 
right to say whether they would accept them or not. 

Lord Baltimore, seeing that a code of laws was 
necessary for the province, which was not under the 
control of the British Parliament, went to work to 
make such a code himself, and sent it out about three 
yeai's later. But the colonists, who considered that a 
right to share in the making of the laws which were to 
govern him was part of the birthright of every Eng- 
lishman, refused to accept his code. Trouble might 
have followed but for the wisdom and generosity of the 
Proprietary, who always thought more of the welfare 
of his colony than of his own interest or power, and 
who jdelded the point, consenting that the assembly 
should propose the laws, but reserving the right to the 
Governor, in his name, to accept or reject them as he 
saw fit. 

All this time, and for a long time after, Lord Balti- 
more was sending out colonists and supplies to Mar}^- 
land, at very great expense to himself. Tracts of land, 

What powers had the g-overnor? How was the first Assembly com- 
posed? What was done with Lord Baltimore's laws? What did Lord 
Baltimore grant to the Assembly? 



y 



18 HISTORY OF MARYLAND. 

running from one hundred to throe thousand acroh*, 
were granted to those who would take out their 
families and other settlers. Those who preferred not 
to venture too far into the wilderness, received lots in 
St. Mary's, of five and ten acres each. The rents paid 
the Proprietary for these lands were at the rate of 
twenty shillings for every thousand acres. Those who 
were too poor to pay for their passage out. bound 
themselves by indentures to the captain of the ship to 
redeem their passage money by four years of seiwice 
(afterwards reduced to three) in the province. On his 
arrival the captain sold the term of service of these 
" redemptioners," as they were called (because they 
redeemed, or paid for their passage by their work) to 
the highest bidders among the planters. When the 
redemptionor's term of service had expired, he received 
irom his employer fifty acres of land, a yeai''s provision 
of corn, three suits of clothes, and the necessary farming 
tools, and became a freeman of the province. 

The assembly, as we have seen, was at first composed, 
of all the freemen of the colony. But as the colony 
grew, it became inconvenient for them all to attend at 
St. Mary's, and several would give to some one of their 
neighbors, "proxies," as they were called; that is, 
written authority to vote in their names. Afterwards 
the plan was adopted of sending representatives, or dele- 
gates, elected by the people. The assembly thus 
formed was called together and presided over by the 
governor, assisted and advised by his council. After 
about fifteen years the form of the assembl}^ was 
changed so as to make it more nearly resemble the 
English Parliament. The governor and council sat in 
a separate chamber, forming an Upper House ; and the 

How was land Riven to the settlers? Who were the "redemption- 
era"? What change gradually took place in the Assembly? 



HISTORY OF MARYLAND. 19 

Delegates, presided over by a Speaker, formed the 
Lower House. From this grew our present State gov- 
ernment, of Governor, Senate, and House of Delegates ; 
though now all are elected by the people. ' 

Claiborne, who had been sent to England to be tried, 
and who was supported by the many and powerful 
enemies of the colony of Maryland, was now giving 
much trouble. He not only petitioned the king to 
restore him his possessions, but urged that Lord Balti- 
more's charter was void, inasmuch as it described the 
land granted, as "hitherto uncultivated," which he 
said was not the case, as at the time it was signed, he 
had a settlement on Kent island. It is not easy to see 
how a single trading-post for buying furs from the 
Indians could make the land cultivated ; and even if it 
did, the king had the right to grant the land at his 
pleasure, whether cultivated or not. So the Privy 
Council (who had control over matters connected 
with the colonies) seemed to think, for they declared 
that the charter was valid ; and told Claiborne, if he 
thought he had suffered any injury, to seek his remedy 
in the courts of law. Smith, an officer of Claiborne, 
who had been capture^ in the fight in Pocomoke river, 
was tried at St. Mary's, and it being proved that the 
first fire came from his vessel, was found guilty of 
murder, and sentenced to death. 

The governor did not forget his promise to the 
Indians to teach them the worship of the true God. 
Missionaries came out from England, who were sent to 
the various surrounding tribes, and numbers of the 
savages embraced Christianity. The king of Patuxent 
gave them a plantation, and many of his people were 

What composed the government. ? [Ans. The Proprietary in England, 
and the Governor, Council, and Lower House in Maryland ] What did 
Claiborne urge on the king? On what ground? Why was this un- 
reasonable? What did the Council decide? 



20 HISTORY OF MARYLATsD. 

baptised. But a much more important convert was 
made in the person of Clitomachen, the Tayac, or em- 
peror, of Piscataway, who had dominion over a number 
of chiefs. During a visit paid him by Father White, 
the Tayac was taken very dangerously sick, and after 
forty of his " medicine-men " had tried in vain to cure 
him, he sought lielp from his guest, who treated him so 
skilfully that he soon recovered. Fi'om this time he 
looked upon Father White as his best friend ; he readily 
listened to his instructions, and willingly embraced the 
Christian faith. As he was the most powei*ful chief in 
all that region, it was thought proper to make the cere- 
mony of his baptism a public celebration. On the 5th 
of July 1640, in the presence of the governor and 
leading men of the colony, the Tayac Avas solemnly 
baptised, with his Avife, children, and chief councillors; 
and in the afternoon of the same day he and his queen 
were married according to the Christian rite ; all these 
ceremonies taking place in a little chapel built of bark 
in the forest, which he had had made for the purpose. 
The Taj'ac after this adopted the dress and learned 
the language of the English ; and the constant friend- 
ship of this important chief added greatly to the secu- 
rity of the colonists. The baptism and marriage of 
this powerful and gentle prince of the forest, is perhaps 
the most striking incident in early Maryland history. 
>y As the colony extended to the north, the fierce 
Indians to the north and north-east, the Susque- 
hannocks and Nanticokos, who were always the enemies 
of the peaceful southern tribes, such as the Patuxents 
and Piscataways, gave the settlers some trouble ; but 
for a long time there was nothing like the Indian wars 



How did the king of Patuxent receive the missionaries'? Give an 
account of tlie conversion of the Tayac. Give an account of his bap- 
tism and marriage. How were the Susquchannocks disposed toward 
the colony? 



HISTORY OF MARYLAND. 21 

from which the other colonies suffered. This was, no 
doubt, partly owing to the influence of Christianity on 
the tribes with which they were immediately sur- 
rounded, and partly due to the prudence, intjjlligence, 
and energy of Governor Calvert, who was quick to 
punish any breach of the peace, but not revengeful ; 
and who would have thought it horrible cruelty to 
massacre and burn an Indian village for the theft of a 
few cattle or hogs. So soon as proper reparation was 
made, he was ready to renew the peace; and thus the 
Indians learned to fear him, without having the savage 



passi 



ions of rao-e and revenae aroused in their breasts. 



't3 



CHAPTER V. 



^ More serious dangers now began to threaten the 
colony. The struggle in England between Charles I. 
and the Parliament broke out into civil war in 1642, 
and of course the agitation spread to the colonies, 
where men's minds were divided as they were in the 
mother-country. The royalist party, or those who 
favored the king, was strong in Yii'ginia; while in New 
England most of the people were on the side of the 
Parliament. In Maryland there were partisans of both 
sides; though as Maryland was almost independent of 
Great Britain, her people did not suffer from the 
grievances of which the English complained. 

V The desire of Lord Baltimore seems to have been to 
remain neutral, as far as jDOSsible, and so preserve Mary- 
land from civil war. But he was known to be a friend 

How did Governor Calvert deal With the Indians? What great 
Struggle was going on in England at this time? How did it affect the 
colonies ? What was Lord Baltimore's desire ? 



22 HISTORY OF MARYLAND. 

of the king, and this aroused ill-feelings among those of 
his colonists who favored tlie cause of Parliament ; while 
the fact of his being a Koman Catholic was used by bis 
enemies to turn the Protestants against him. They 
had certainly no cause of complaint, for from the veiy 
first, Baltimore's policy had been that of entire tolera- 
tion to every form of Christian belief; and those who 
in other colonies were persecuted for their religion, 
found a refuge in Mai-yland. i Claiborne's friends did 
what they could to increase the discontent; and CtOv- 
ernor Calvert, seeing the danger, but uncertain what 
was best to be done, Avent to England early in 1643, to 
consult his brother in person, and see the state of 
affairs there, leaving Giles Brent as deputy-governor in 
his absence. 

The Susquehannock Indians, who dwelt in the region 
about the mouth of the Susquehanna river, had never 
been as friendly to the settlers as the Indians of the 
south, with whom the Susquehannocks were almost 
always at war ; and the colonists in the region north of 
the Patuxent, never felt quite safe from them. About 
this time they began to harass the more distant settle- 
ments, and the settlers feared that they were preparing 
for a general attack, which would have been more for- 
midable from the fact that the Susquehannocks were 
armed with fire-arms, which it was said had been fur- 
nished them by the Dutch who were settled on the 
Delaware, and who also sent men to teach them their 
use. This fear added to the other agitations of the 
colonists, who sent several small expeditions against 
them and the Nantieokes, who were also giving trouble. 

Claiborne was not slow to take advantage of his 
opportunity. He had drawn into his schemes a man 

What did his enemies urge against him ? Why had the colony no 
cause of complaint? What did Governor Calvert do? What did the 
Susquehannocks do? 



HISTORY OF MARYLAND. 23 

named Eichiird Ingle, who had been proclaimed a 
traitor, and seems to have been something of a pirate ; 
and this Ingle cruised off the shores of the Bay in an 
armed vessel, stirring up rebellion and ready for any 
mischief. Governor Brent succeeded in arresting Ingle ; 
but he soon after made his escape, and joined Claiborne 
again. When Calvert came back, in 1644, he found the 
province in a very disturbed state. Claiborne had again 
taken possession of Kent Island, and the enemies of the 
Proprietary had increased in numbers and boldness. 
The governor sent an expedition to recover the island, 
but it failed; and Claiborne and Ingle with their 
followers crossed ta the western shore, marched on St. 
Mary's, and took possession of the government. Gov- 
ernor Calvert fled to Virginia, whei'e he was kindly 
received b}^ Governor Berkeley. 

Of the two years during which Claiborne and his 
associates ruled in Maryland, we have but little account. 
They took possession of the public records, and after 
they were driven out, it was found that most of these 
had been either lost or destroyed, so that not only are 
we left very much in the dark about their doings, but 
our history of the first twelve years of the colony is 
very imperfect. It appears that they acted with great 
t^^ranny towards those who remained faithful to the 
Proprietary, seizing their property, and banishing them 
from the province. They even ai'rested the unoffending 
missionaries among the Indians ; broke up their sta- 
tions, and, it is said, sent the venerable Father White, 
with others, in chains to England, where he died in 
1656. All these things they did in the name, and 
under pretence of the authority, of the English Parlia- 

Who was Richard Ingle, and what did he do? When Calvert came 
back, how did he find matters? What did Claiborne and Ingle do? 
How did Claiborne and his party behave when in power? What was 
done to the missionaries? 



24 HISTORY OF MARYLAND. 

ment, whoso forces were now, under the leadershijD of 
Oliver Cromwell, getting very much the better in their 
contest with the king. In 1G46 the Parliament was 
complctel}' victorious, and the Icing a prisoner; so 
Lord Baltimore, who now thought that his province 
was hopelessly lost, wrote to his brother to try to save 
for him what he could of his private property out of 
the general wreck. 

Governor Calvert, however, saw grounds for hope 
that all was not lost 3'et. The Virginians had been 
from the first hostile to the colony, but they were 
devoted royalists, and they looked upon Calvert as a 
satferer in the king's cause. Claiborne and his asso- 
ciates, instead of handing their conquest over to Vir- 
ginia, were governing it themselves in the name of 
Parliament, which was even less to the Virginians' 
liking than Baltimore's government. So Calvert found 
that he could count on help from Virginia. Then the 
rule of Claiborne had been so different from the mild 
government of the Proprietary-, that many who had 
been drawn to his party were now anxious to restore 
the old state of things. There was no evidence that 
Claiborne had any authority from Parliament, or 
sought an}' thing but his own interests ; and it was very 
doubtful whether Pai'liament would support him. At 
all events, Calvert determined to make an attempt to 
I'ecover the province; so in the winter of 1616, he 
crossed the Potomac with a small force, mai'ched on St. 
Mary's, where Capt. Hill, who was in command, sur- 
rendered without resistance, and again took possession 
of the government. Kent Island submitted, after some 
resistance; after which. Lord Baltimore's authority 
being fully restored, the governor pardoned all the 

What happened in England in 1646? What did Lord Baltimore think? 
Why did Governor Calvert count on help from Virginia? Why were 
the Marylanders anxious to get rid of Claiborne ? 



HISTORY OF MARYLAND. 25 



rebels except the three leaders, Claiborne, Ingle, and 
Durnford, who had fled, and peace was restored to the 
province. 

On June 9, 1647, the good and wise governor, 
Leonard Calvert, died, leaving the province in charge of 
Thomas Green until his successor should be appointed. 
From the first planting of the colony he had labored 
incessantly and unselfishly for its good ; had controlled 
Its affairs, both in peace and war, with wisdom, vigor, 
justice, and humanit}-, and his name should ever be 
cherished with honor in the memory of Marylanders. 
The enemies of Lord Baltimore, who wished to de- 
prive him of his charter, had laid great stress on the 
fact that he and his brother were Eoraan Catholics; 
and though the Protestants in the colony were in the 
majority, and both the Proprietary and the governor 
had carefully refrained from molesting any one for his 
religious belief, yet it was argued that a. Catholic gov- 
ernment was dangerous to Protestantism in Maryland. 
So Baltimore thought it prudent to choose a Protestant 
for governor; and in 1648 he appointed William Stone 
to that office. To make sure that the principle of 
toleration would still be maintained, the Proprietary 
drew u]) an oath to be taken by the governor and prin- 
cipal officers, binding them not to molest any believer 
in Christ on account of his religion. Li this oath ,ithe 
Catholics were expressly named, as at that time they 
had more reason to fear persecution than any others. 
On April 2, 1649, the Assembly met, and among 
other laws jmssed the famous Act of Toleration, which 
is one of the most memorable things in the history of 
Maryland. By this Act the liberal policy of the Pro- 

What did Calvert do? When did Governor Calvert die? What was 
Ins character? What did Lord Baltimore's enemies urgi against hi^? 
oh pTnffi'lJ'.%*'?P,°'°,* as Governor? What oath had thlGovernor and 
chief officers to take ? What Act was passed in 1649? 



'-^F^B 



26 HISTORY OF MARYLAND. 

prietiuy was made the law of the land. It enacted that 
"no person or persons jjrofessing to believe in Jesus 
Christ shall from henceforth be in any ways ti'oubled, 
or molested, or discountenanced for, or in respect .of 
hia or her religion, nor in the free exercise thereof, nor 
any way compelled to the belief or exercise of any 
religion against his or her consent." It also forbade 
the calling of any one by any name of reproach on 
account of his belief, such as "heretic," "idolater," or 
"schismatic." Penalties were also affixed to "blas- 
phemy" and "sabbath-breaking," which indicate a 
Puritan influence in the Assembly, as the Puritans 
punished those off'ences with peculiar severity; but 
the toleration of all forms of Christian belief was due 
to the liberal and truly Christian spirit of Cecilius 
Calvert. We need but look at the laws, not only of the 
other colonies, but of almost all Christian countries, at 
that time, to ^ee how far this trul}' great man was in 
advance of his age; and this Act of 1649, which em- 
bodied Lord Baltimore's spirit in law, and made Mary- 
land the refuge for all the persecuted and those who 
suft'ered for conscience' sake, is the brightest page in 
the annals of Mai"3'iand, and one of the memorable 
events in the history of the world. 

What wa3 provided by the Act of Toleration? For whom was Mary- 
land a refuge? 



